Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether disabled children will be able to access additional speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, educational psychology and other therapeutic support over the summer 2021 school holidays.

As part of COVID-19 recovery planning we are working with the Department for Education and NHS England and NHS Improvement to look at how we can improve the provision of therapies to disabled children, within and outside of school settings.

NHS England and NHS Improvement published guidance making clear that essential community services, including therapeutic support, must be prioritised for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities aged up to 25 years old and who have an Education Health and Care Plan in place or who are going through an assessment for one.